Tim Benz Columns category, Page 82
CBS rules analyst says 2 crucial plays from Steelers-Bengals carry important NFL officiating lessons
According to one former NFL referee, two important officiating lessons could be learned from key moments during the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 23-20 overtime win Sunday in Cincinnati. During his weekly WDVE radio hit Tuesday morning, retired NFL referee turned CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore (Washington, Pa.) said one controversial call may...
Tim Benz: Amid confusing reports on T.J. Watt injury, 1 thing should be clear to Steelers fans
It seems like every time Pittsburgh Steelers fans log on to Twitter there’s a new, nebulous report about the status of T.J. Watt’s pectoral injury. On Monday afternoon, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport said Watt isn’t expecting firm word on his status until Tuesday and that his prognosis could be anywhere between...
Madden Monday: ‘The season is over’ if T.J. Watt is out long-term
Many Steelers fans are trying to separate the bad news about T.J. Watt’s injury Sunday from the thrilling overtime win in Cincinnati. Mark Madden of TribLIVE and 105.9 The X isn’t buying that. “If Watt is out, the season is over,” Madden said in this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast. The...
Tim Benz: First ‘Feats of Strength,’ ‘Airing of Grievances’ after emotionally conflicting Steelers victory in CincinnatiVideo
Our “Breakfast With Benz” tradition of logging the “Feats of Strength” following Pittsburgh Steelers wins and listing the “Airing of Grievances” after they lose continues in 2022. However, in a game like the one we saw Sunday, we have to include both. I was ready to do so anyway because...
3 things Steelers defense must do to prevent a 4th straight loss to Bengals
The Pittsburgh Steelers should have two goals heading into their season opener Sunday in Cincinnati. • Make this opener look as much like the one last year in Buffalo as possible. • Make this game as unrecognizable as possible when comparing it to the two games against the Bengals last...
Tim Benz: How the Steelers can replicate the 2021 season-opening upset in Buffalo this year in Cincinnati
The Pittsburgh Steelers began 2021 on the road in Buffalo as a 6 ½ point underdog against a Bills team that was coming off a division championship and was among the AFC Super Bowl favorites. Yet Mike Tomlin’s team won 23-16. This year they are opening on the road in...
Tim Benz: How Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt thinks he can improve upon an award-winning season in 2022
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt and his brothers (J.J. and Derek) weren’t just youth football players growing up in Wisconsin. En route to their NFL careers, they played a lot of hockey, too. So Watt can appreciate an NHL analogy when there is one to make. That’s good because Watt...
U mad, bro?: Fans rally around Mike Tomlin and Kedon Slovis, lash out about Pirates and … craft beer?
The No. 1 tip I give to young sports journalists entering the workplace these days is to diversify. Get experience in front of the camera, on the radio and in print. Do some play-by-play. Try anchoring. Host a talk show or podcast. Join the student newspaper. Apparently, my readers are...
Should the Steelers stop after retiring Franco Harris’ No. 32 or add more numbers to the list?
Pittsburgh Steelers legend Franco Harris summed up what it meant to learn that his number was going to be retired by the franchise this September. “It’s like giving you flowers while you’re still around to smell them,” Harris said. I get that. In fact, I just recently wrote about that...
Tim Benz: ‘Clerical error’ or change of mind, Kenny Pickett as 2nd QB streamlines depth chart
I can empathize with Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. In my line of work, I’ve certainly flubbed occasional cut-and-paste commands in documents, too. A misidentified name. A stat line in the wrong place of the column. A quote in a story gets moved and doubled up. Hey, it happens. But...
Tim Benz: 50 years after retirement, Bill Mazeroski uses his Pirates Hall of Fame induction to campaign for teammates
As Saturday’s master of ceremonies for the inaugural Pirates Hall of Fame inductions, team play-by-play announcer Greg Brown delivered his best line as legendary second baseman Bill Mazeroski was receiving his commemorative gold jacket. “Maz asked me to read his speech. He didn’t want to get up here to do...
Madden Monday: Steelers season prediction ‘leaning toward 7-10’ because offensive line will be the NFL’s worst
If you asked a lot of Pittsburgh Steelers fans in February for their opinion of how the team would fare in 2022, they likely would have said, “I don’t know. That depends on who ends up being the quarterback.” Once it was known that Mason Rudolph would be joined by...
Tim Benz: YAC drives comeback as Pitt passes first post-Pickett test
The image of Kenny Pickett was hovering over Pitt’s season opener Thursday night. Literally. During the first timeout against West Virginia, the former Heisman Trophy candidate was in one of Acrisure Stadium’s open-end rotundas, unfurling the team’s 2021 ACC title banner as a crowd of 70,622 wildly applauded. All new...
U mad, bro?: Fans say stop being so hard on Mike Tomlin, Oneil Cruz — but get tougher on Pirates, Steelers
I’m not hard enough on the Pittsburgh Pirates. But I’m too mean to Oneil Cruz. The Steelers didn’t get better during the preseason. But I should stop giving Mike Tomlin a hard time. Dang it! I can’t get anything right. That’s why I post “U mad, bro?” every week, just...
Tim Benz: Oneil Cruz’s highlight night puts the whole ‘exit velocity’ debate in focusVideo
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz did it again Monday night. Another laser of a home run. This time, 118 miles per hour during a 5-3 loss in Milwaukee. Impressive. HOW 'BOUT A CRUZ MISSILE?! pic.twitter.com/AGQ8sVg3zb— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) August 30, 2022 You know what might be more impressive? His game...
Backyard Brawl: Memories of 13-9 in ’07 with Pitt’s Chris McKillop — ‘We played a perfect game’
When it comes to Chris McKillop’s freshman year as a Pitt Panther, there is at least one aspect of coach Walt Harris’ daily practices that the defensive lineman will never forget. “Walt Harris had a ‘West Virginia’ period,” McKillop said during Wednesday’s “Breakfast With Benz” podcast. “In an 18-period practice....
Backyard Brawl: WVU players ‘recognize their legacy could be authored on Thursday night’
Jed Drenning knows how West Virginia football fans talk about the Backyard Brawl. He was a backup quarterback for the Mountaineers, and he has been part of their game-day broadcast crew for 20 years. Those games are spoken about in snapshots. In individual moments. In specific final scores. “Where were...
Tim Benz: Najee Harris’ revelation about his foot is another example of NFL injury ‘paranoia’ backfiring for Steelers
When medical issues crop up about his players, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin frequently tells us that he’s not a doctor. But, occasionally, he will play one on TV. Well, when he thinks it benefits the team, anyway. Take, for example, halftime of Sunday afternoon’s preseason win over the Detroit...
Madden Monday: Steelers ‘think they are far better than what they are’ — the offensive line may be their undoing
Mark Madden of 105.9 The X and TribLIVE was watching the coverage of the Pittsburgh Steelers preseason game against the Detroit Lions, and he was struck by some of the things Cameron Heyward and T.J. Watt said about the state of the team during interviews. “The thing with the Steelers...
Tim Benz: Despite 3-0 preseason record, very few Steelers questions have been answered
The NFL preseason did little to definitively answer many questions about the 2022 Pittsburgh Steelers. Especially after the 19-9 slopfest of a victory against the Detroit Lions Sunday afternoon in the preseason finale at Acrisure Stadium. Some of those questions have grown into greater concerns. Other questions are now lesser...
Friday Football Footnotes — Fantasy Football edition: When to draft certain Steelers, how to best construct your team
As the NFL preseason wraps up over the next 10 days or so, this is going to be a huge week for fantasy football drafts across Pittsburgh and the rest of the country. So for “Friday Football Footnotes” this week, we spoke with Jeff Erickson of Rotowire. He’s our long-time...
Tim Benz: If Pittsburgh thinks Aaron Donald shouldn’t be suspended, then we are moving the goalposts
A brawl between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams erupted during a joint practice session Thursday. Rams star Aaron Donald was caught on film swinging a helmet at Bengals players before getting thrown to the ground. #Rams Aaron Donald used a #Bengals helmet to hit Cincy players after a...
U mad, bro?: Steelers’ preseason anxiety meets Pirates’ late-season despair
It’s late August in Pittsburgh. For local sports fans, that marks the annual nexus of Steelers preseason obsession, meeting yearly late-season Pirates fan dejection. Preemptive quarterback concerns. Acute offensive line panic. Defensive back denial. All stirred with long-simmering Pirates angst and frustration. We mix it, shake it, chill it and...
First Call: ESPN projects Steelers to regress; Pirates’ brutal upcoming stretch; remembering Len Dawson as a Steeler
In Thursday’s “First Call,” ESPN.com is setting the bar low for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022. Tough times for the Pirates are about to continue. A trio of ex-Buccos pitchers are on the mound Thursday night. And we remember Len Dawson as a Steeler as the NFL mourns his passing....
Former Steelers linebacker Vince Williams: ‘Mark Robinson is better than I was as a rookie’
It appears that ex-Steeler Vince Williams is a big fan of a new Steeler at his former position. It’s rookie inside linebacker Mark Robinson. “Mark Robinson is better than I was as a rookie,” Williams said Tuesday on social media. “I hope he keeps #93.” Mark Robinson is better than...
